Abstract
The demand for quick time-to-market and the short product life cycle of consumer electronics are now pushing the development time for these products even shorter. The success of a rapid product development requires careful considerations of product markets, production needs, and available design and fabrication resources at the early development stage, and a seamlessly integrated design to fabrication environment for rapid product realization. In this paper, through a case study on the prototyping production of a finger-print recognition device, we illustrate a rapid product development through an integrated CAD/CAM environment. Rapid production of an accurate aluminum mold for 200 prototypes is highlighted. The result was a product prototype delivered within a short period of development time according to the proposed schedule. Time analysis of the entire development process was provided, and some potential improvements based on the analysis were also identified for future development of similar products.
Editorial: Rapid Product Development and R&D
